Star Wars: Darth Bane Dynasty of Evil Book Review

Star Wars: Darth Bane – Dynasty of Evil, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the eleventh event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book three, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 980 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Dynasty of Evil is a bigger tale, introducing many new characters with multiple agendas. That said, I will focus primarily on the Darth Bane and Darth Zannah aspect of the story.

Darth Bane grows weary and anxious. Age is finding its place in Bane’s body and mind. His obsession with the dark side is ever present. He’s tired of waiting for his apprentice to take her rightful place as the master. He believes Darth Zannah will sit by, idly waiting for her master to die before taking the role. And that’s not the way of the Sith. Bane comes to the conclusion that if his apprentice will not do her duty, he will seek out the secrets of immortality and find a replacement. Meanwhile, there is another, out to seek and destroy the Bane. A child from the past, now grown and granted with the power of royalty.

Zannah senses the weakness in her master. She sees his growing frustration as he attempts his own holocron creation. She’s on the search for her apprentice, she knows her time to take on Bane is near.

To sum it all up into a few words, the theme of this final tale; a quest for revenge, power, and healing.

CHARACTERS

This book has a handful of great characters once again. In my review of Path of Destruction, I did not mention Bane in this section. In this review, I’ll only talk about Bane..

Bane: Free of the Orbalisk parasites, he’s become obsessed with creating his own holocron! The wear of age is catching up to Sith Master. The uncontrollable twitch in his nerves is irritating and a reminder of his mortality. Bane is one of the best villains I’ve read about. He’s wise, he’s powerful, yet vulnerable at times. He’s had many failures throughout his life. The path he chose, or rather, was forced into, eventually led him to the dark side. How would he have ended up, had he not got into that fight with republic soldiers so many years ago? Back when his name was Dessel. He is certainly worthy of the name, Darth Bane.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I think Drew Karpyshyn is a master of character development. The arch in each character, either new in this book or the few that have remained since the beginning is crazy good. Darth Zannah’s journey through the dark side is drastically different than Bane’s. While you can argue that Bane’s path to the dark side was more of a tragic accident. Zannah made the choice to follow Bane’s teachings. When she was left on her own to find her way off Ruusan as a child… she did so. Had she not craved the power, she would have never returned to Bane. Darth Zannah is an incredible Sith, with a frightening power.

This final chapter in the Bane trilogy doesn’t fizzle out. No, it’s exciting, tense, and explosive. If I had to recommend you only read just one series in the Star Wars Legends canon… the Bane trilogy is definitely the series I demand you read.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Dynasty of Evil? Of course I do,. I just said so!

RATING

I give this book an A. It was (99%) almost everything I wanted in this wrap up story of Darth Bane.

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Star Wars: Darth Bane Rule of Two Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Darth Bane Rule of Two Book Review

Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the tenth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book two, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 990 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Darth Bane has completed his task in destroying the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Sith army is done, and the quest to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy has begun. Darth Bane has acquired his apprentice after successfully wiping out the Sith. The Sith Order has been reformed to its origins, with Bane’s apprentice, the rule of two has been reinstated. One with the power, another to crave it.

Bane discovers a book with the tomb location of an ancient Sith, Freedon Nadd, and will seek it out with the hope of finding a holocron. The holocron is a device that captures the essence of its creator, used to pass on knowledge. Bane will go alone, leaving behind his apprentice. In this quest, Bane becomes the host of a strange parasite called an Orbalisk that feeds on the dark side, but produces an enzyme that produces strength and increases the flow of the dark side. These hard shelled parasites cannot be removed. However, their exoskeleton is an incredible armor.

Zannah is left on Ruusan by herself as Bane begins his research. She must find a way to meet up with him on another world. This serves as her first test by Bane. As time jumps forward, Zannah is still learning the ways of the Sith, while a link from her past tempts her to turn from the dark side. The time for her to seek out her on apprentice is near. Through her own adventures, she has infiltrated a rebellious cell against the Republic. It is through this group she discovers a force sensitive who she may find useful.

The rebel cell attacks a government official who is guarded by the Jedi named Johun. Johun eventually discovers that the Sith are actually still in the galaxy. He will gather other Jedi to meet Bane and Zannah in a clash of lightsabers.

CHARACTERS

This book has a handful of great characters once again. In my review of Path of Destruction, I did not mention Bane in this section. In this review, I’ll talk about Bane, Zannah, Johun, and Darovit.

Bane: He has become so powerful, yet still craves more and more dark side energy. As the Master, he works tirelessly, nonstop at gaining more understanding of the Sith. With this knowledge, he will pass on all he learns to his apprentice, so that the order will remain true to its origins.

Zannah: Her power in sorcery is incredible. She can twist her opponents mind, turning their fears against them, driving them mad. She’s on the prowl for an apprentice, it has been quite a challenge to find the right candidate. She’s loyal to her master, absorbing as much knowledge and skill she can before she will eventually dismantle Darth Bane from his position.

Johun: He was the padawan of Jedi Master Hoth. He served with his master in the fight against the Sith, as a Jedi soldier in the Army of Light. Johun can be temperamental at times, causing others to remind him often, to take it easy. He’s brave yet vengeful, and will find his way to be face to face with the Sith.

Darovit: The temptation of Zannah. He’s the link to her past, to her childhood. He’s persistent in his pleading to Zannah, to go back to the light. He constantly refers to her as her former name, Rain. He went by the name of Tomcat in his youth. His failure as a Jedi padawan led to darkness, but he quickly abandoned the Sith and returned to the light. Will his quest to turn Zannah from the dark side be complete? Get this book and read it to find out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The Rule of Two is an excellent continuation in the Darth Bane trilogy. I’m just as thrilled with this read as I was with Path of Destruction! In this book we’re introduced to a new cast of characters and revisiting some from the previous book.

Bane has some nasty stuff going on with those parasites for sure. The imagery described for the Orbalisk and what they do is disturbing and disgusting. Karpyshyn does an incredible job at tying in new characters to the story and revisiting previous themes or locations. It reminded me of what George Lucas said about the Star Wars films, “it’s like poetry.”

The climax of the book had me on edge, the drama and thrills can cause chaotic reading and rereading. Darth Bane’s views on equality are pretty much real world politically incorrect, I love it. Bane’s quote on equality is so spot on, I had to copy it down in a notebook. That also goes to show that the dialogue in this book, is legit.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two? Yes, it’s a must, it’s book two of a trilogy!

RATING

I give this book an A+. It continues the brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith, and shapes his apprentice.

*Purchase Darth Bane Rule of Two: https://amzn.to/2Pf84KL

Star Wars: Darth Bane Path of Destruction Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Darth Bane

Path of Destruction Book Review

Path of Destruction was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the ninth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book one, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 1003 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Dessel, a miner on the world of Apatros, had a hard life. He was abused by his father and picked on by the other miners. With age came great height and strength, and the bullying, a thing of the past. He developed a sixth sense, spawning quick reflexes and quick glance of the future.

Apatros was a sink hole for Dessel, debt held him there. He was no friend of the Republic, nor an enemy. His opinion on politics of the galaxy was neutral. He’s outspoken about his feelings one evening, during a tense game of Sabacc, with a table of Republic soldiers. The results of the game had taken Dessel’s life in an unexpected turn. He’s forced to flee Apatros, the only way he could do that, was by being secretly smuggled off world by Sith academy recruiters.

Dessel served the Sith as a soldier. Months had passed and he’d already been promoted to sergeant. On the front lines, he did the unexpected, he disobeyed orders, actually punching out his superior officer. He’s arrested and escorted to one of the Sith leaders, a member of the Brotherhood of Darkness. Instead of being punished, Dessel is invited to Korriban, to be a student at the greatest Sith academy. He is reborn… as Bane.

Bane had some struggles in the academy, some serious struggles, but actually became the best student. His faith in himself and the dark side was shaken, but he became stronger than ever. He learned so much more from the Sith archives than he did from lessons by instructors. His view of what the Sith should be is vastly different then what the Sith had been. A brotherhood of Darkness was not the nature of the Sith. Passion, strength, power, and victory was part of the Sith mantra, not brotherhood.

In Bane’s quest he adopts the title of Darth Bane. To use the title Darth, is frowned upon, it’s not the way of the Brotherhood of Darkness. So in Darth Bane’s quest, he is to reform the Sith order completely. There is an ongoing war on Ruusan, between the Sith and the Republic, Bane believes it could play a major roll in the balance of the force.

CHARACTERS

This book had a handful of great characters, I’m going to mention only one Githany. Wait… why not Bane? Because I mentioned him pretty heavily in the Summary, I don’t want to spoil more than I have to.

Githany: She was an apprentice of the Jedi, until she abandoned the order to join the Sith… for selfish reasons. She desperately wants to be the top student in the Sith academy on Korriban. She’s beautiful and she knows it, she uses her stunning looks to manipulate others. She takes a liking to Bane, for a while, she helped him when he was at his lowest point. She has traits of an old fashion Sith. She’s power hungry and full of betrayal.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This book is outstanding. I like how the Sith had evolved into something different, how they lost sight of who and what they truly were. They became soft, and that was the tipping point. It’s as though it’s their destiny to fail.

Bane’s rise to power was an emotional journey. One reason that makes this book so great, was the struggle! Bane wasn’t some super human who was unstoppable, he had a weakness. The chemistry between our characters was magic. The shift in loyalties was natural, nothing seemed out of place or unlikely. The characters were true to themselves to the very end. I have to say, this book contains one of the best character arcs yet, and this is only book one of a trilogy.

The book was loaded with surprises. I thought that maybe this book would be predictable, it wasn’t, at least not for me. I enjoyed every page! The war of Ruusan was handled great, it was a fine backdrop to the main story, until it’s brought to the forefront in a natural way. Drew Karpyshyn, is an amazing writer. I’m really looking forward to more of his writing in the Expanded Universe!

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Path of Destruction? Absolutely! For some reason I always imagined this book, this trilogy would be mediocre. I was wrong.

RATING

I give this book an A+. It was a brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith.

Star Wars: Knight Errant Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: Knight Errant Book Review

Star Wars: Knight Errant, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, John Jackson Miller. This novel is the eighth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. It takes place 1032 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A rivalry among the Sith has broken out into all out war. The dark lords of the force are dissected into multiple factions across the stars, far from Republic space. The Sith battle each other over territorial control. Kerra Holt, a lone Jedi, has made it her mission to disrupt various Sith organizations by causing such things as complication and chaos.

Kerra finds herself and several young refugees at the center of a deadly battle. She takes it upon herself to rescue these youngsters and find them a safe place to stay, away from the ongoing Sith war. However, finding a safe place in the middle of Sith space… is nearly impossible.

CHARACTERS

There a few main characters in this book, but I’m only going to mention three, Kerra Holt, Narsk Ka’hane, and very briefly… because he was just so crazy, Damian.

Kerra Holt: She’s a rogue Jedi, on a mission to collapse the Sith Damian’s regime and to save as many innocent lives as possible. She’s confident and brave, not afraid to speak her mind. Kerra won’t settle with mediocrity or be persuaded to move against her gut feeling. She’s not the most powerful of Jedi, but her love for youth and the hope for light in the galaxy, surely is.

Narsk Ka’hane: He’s a Bothan spy, working around the clock in Sith space for… someone. He’s pretty good at his job, but not as good when a Jedi interferes with his work or when his special stealth suit is taken from him. Narsk is sneaky, has a strong will, and a pretty complicated work environment.

Damian: He’s a self declared lord of the Sith who believes he’s a god. He’s brainwashed the population into believing he’s their creator. Damian is quick to anger and an out of control ego!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

An interesting book of twists and obstacles. I was bored out of my mind for the first half of the book. I’m very thankful and glad it picked up in the second half! I wrote this review about two months after I read the book. For some reason writing this short review was just as difficult to get through as the first half of the book. There is a Knight Errant comic series, though I’m not sure if the book is based on the comics or if the comics are based off the book.

I liked the idea of the Sith at war with each other. What I didn’t like, is that they were all family? Maybe my eyes glazed over during this part and missed something, but I’m pretty certain this Sith war was a family affair. Didn’t like that

John Jackson Miller is an excellent writer, so it’s disappointing that this work didn’t shine like a lot of his other work. The characters were all well written, dialogue was fluid. But overall… the story was just okay.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Knight Errant? Sure, but just be aware that it takes a while to get moving and interesting.

RATING

I give this book a C. It took too long to get into the story. This book definitely felt like a companion piece, meaning it would probably have been better if the comic series was read first.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Annihilation Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation Book Review

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the seventh event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book four, the last, in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,640 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

The Sith Empire is in shambles! The Sith, Darth Karrid has control of a sleek, fast, and powerful ship, the Ascendant Spear. The Republic fears the might of the Ascendant Spear! Operation End Game is created, pulling the best of the Strategic Information Service and a Jedi together, to destroy the ship. Doing so would strike a heavy blow against the Empire.

CHARACTERS

There are a few interesting characters but the only two I’ll talk about are Theron Shan and Darth Karrid.

Theron Shan: He’s a Republic Strategic Information Service (SIS) Agent. He’s somewhat reckless but quick on his feet. He’s loyal to the Republic but has an issue taking orders. He likes to take care of business his own way, even knowing that there will be consequences from high command. He was adopted by a Jedi as a baby, so he’s going to have some parental issues. He’s got a cybernetic implant in his face.

Darth Karrid: She’s a Sith Lord, former apprentice of Jedi Master Gnost-Dural. Long ago, she was sent on a mission, to go undercover as a spy. Sadly the dark side wins her over and she calls Darth Malgus her master. She is a Falleen, which works against her in the Sith Empire. She is captain of the Ascendant Spear, a dangerously powerful ship. Members in the Dark Council want to destroy her to get the ship for themselves. She’s angry, full of pride, and craves power. Karrid will crush all who stand in her way, be it the republic, or her fellow Sith. She also has a cybernetic implant in her face.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Annihilation is a fairly decent read. The story is simple and compact. The chemistry between our characters was great. However, character traits and descriptions, made for predictable reveals and plot points. The cast was great, not a ton of names to remember or get confused with. I really enjoyed some of the references to Darth Malgus, who was the star antagonist of Decieved.

The story moved along quickly. I laughed a few times, especially toward the end. The little spice of humor thrown in was good. Like I mentioned, some of the story was predictable… it was in a big way. In the first two chapters I had already predicted details in the climax and was 100% correct. I’m no genius, I think anyone could see it. It was the only issue I had with the book.

I wouldn’t mind more stories with Theron Shan… but sadly, I don’t think that’s going to happen… ever.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation? Yes. It’s entertaining yet simple.

RATING

I give this book a B. It was entertaining but nothing spectacular… and predictable.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Fatal Alliance Book Review

by Matthew Wilson

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fatal Alliance Book Review

Fatal Alliance was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Sean Williams.This novel is the sixth event on the Legends timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era. The book also counts as the third installment in The Old Republic series. It takes place 3,643 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

A smuggler is doing work for a Hutt, when he and his crew come across a mysterious ship. When they attempt to capture it, it self-destructs. However, they collect two interesting pieces from the debris; the Navicomp and a strange metallic cylinder.

The Hutts invite many factions across the galaxy to Nal Hutta to inspect and have an opportunity to place a bid on the rare, mysteries items. There’s a Mandalorian warrior who shows up and causes all kinds of trouble, activating the strange metallic cylinder, revealing a dangerous new threat.

The factions involved include; the Republic, the Empire, the Jedi, and the Sith. After the violent actions of the Mandalorian, they begin to hunt the warrior down and seek out the location of the metallic cylinder’s origin.

CHARACTERS

There are a ton of characters to choose from, too many, but I’m only going to mention two.

Jet Nebula: He’s a pilot and smuggler for hire. He really doesn’t seem to care about much. His primary objective is just, staying alive. He’s laid back and observant. He’s no hero, but he’s no villain. Was this character super important? No.

Eldon Ax: She’s a Sith apprentice under Darth Chratis. For a Sith, she really doesn’t have a desire for power, she doesn’t seem to care about the glory of the Empire. Maybe she has the personality of the average Sith? However, she was punked by a Mandalore and wants revenge.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

So, wow. There are a ton of characters in this book. I don’t really like that, especially for just one novel, unless they appear in the next book in the timeline, which I highly doubt they will. This isn’t an epic tale like Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, was curious if the author was trying to have a memorable cast like those tales. The conflict within and around the characters didn’t come across organic. They were boring, and in a week or two, I’ll probably forget everyone’s name in this book.

I actually got lost in most of the action scenes. At many points I was a bored with the story and the characters. The novel tries to tell a tale of a grand, galactic doomsday scenario. It falls flat at the end. I was waiting for some amazing climax to redeem the story… but the book just ends.

Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: The Old Republic – Fatal Alliance? Absolutely not. I don’t understand why this story was told, it’s completely different than the previous books in The Old Republic series.

RATING

I give this book an F. It didn’t hold my attention and sometimes I just got a little confused.

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